ABSTRACT
The
Northern
Sewerage
Project
(NSP)
is
one
of
the
largest,
most
complex
wastewater
tunnelling
projects
in
recent
Australian
history.
Overcoming
challenging
geology
and
complex
site
conditions
in
a
dense
urban
environment,
the
$650
million
project
involved
construction
of
12.5
kilometres
of
sewer
tunnels
in
Melbourne’s
north.
Environmental
sustainability
was
central
to
the
project’s
design
–
a
key
goal
being
to
virtually
eliminate
sewage
overflows
into
the
Merri
and
Moonee
Ponds
creeks
after
heavy
rain.
Now
fully
commissioned,
the
new
sewers
provide
capacity
for
70,000
new
homes
across
northern
Melbourne.
It
was
finished
$135
million
under
budget
and
six
months
ahead
of
schedule.